Bruises
by Master thief Gray Shadow
Summary: How could someone be this dense? Honoka was sleeping with her, for fuck's sake, and yet she couldn't tell? She couldn't see Nico's longing looks, notice how she always seemed to go the extra mile if it meant pleasing her? Honoka couldn't see it?


Nico groaned as she sat up, her whole body seeming to groan with her. Dull pain came from every nerve. It was dark, too dark to see in front of her, and her sleepy mind was still rebooting. She turned her head slowly towards the only source of light available, the green glow of an alarm clock, now mildly eerie at this hour, which according to the clock was around 2 AM. Nico continued to stare at the clock, trying to ignore the ache of the bites and scratches on her skin as she tried to remember where she was.

 _ **SNORT!**_ Nico gave a small gasp of surprise, having been startled and also awakened by the loud noise. It came from right next to her, but Nico could barely make anything out in the darkness. All she knew was that she was naked and there was an arm resting across her lap, and someone snoring very loudly next to her. Her heart began beating faster as she lifted the rather muscular arm off of her and moved to press herself against the wall. That was when she brushed up against some kind of soft, loose hanging fabric. Curtains. And curtains mean windows… Nico pulled back the curtain, allowing faint moonlight to pour into the room, tinting everything a soft blue. Including the owner of the arm and the source of the snoring.

Honoka. Wearing only a loose t-shirt, limbs haphazardly sprawled over the bed, a puddle of drool forming on her pillow as she slept. Nico let out a long sigh, finally relaxing as all the pieces came together in her head. That's right, Honoka had invited her over for dinner that night, and she had accepted, and everything went great, and then at some point they had gone up to Honoka's room and… The spot between Nico's legs began throbbing in pain, as if to remind her what had occurred last night. She pulled back the blanket, the only thing protecting her modesty, to see both of her thighs covered in hickeys. They seemed more concentrated on the inner part, but there were a few stray ones as far as her hip. They continued upward from there, onto her stomach, and from there to her chest, which was just as covered in them as her thighs. She couldn't see her neck and shoulders but she imagined they looked much the same. Nico sighed. This was going to be a bitch to cover up.

She didn't really want to cover them up. They were given to her by Honoka. Kousaka Honoka, the eccentric yet charismatic leader of μ's. The person who had saved both her and the idol research club. Who at first had been a very determined annoyance, but eventually became an extremely dear friend. Perhaps more.

Nico's heart started to beat a little faster again. When had she fallen for Honoka? She wasn't sure, but it was probably some time ago. There was just one day where she found that looking at Honoka made her feel bubbly and floaty and her heart would start racing. It felt weird to her, she spent days avoiding practice just so she wouldn't have to deal with it, until she had been confronted about her skipping and been forced right back into the thick of things. The whole of μ's found out about her crush that day, or at least, most of them did. Honoka remained oddly oblivious, even as she lavished Nico with physical affection. But that didn't make her special, she did that with everyone.

Nico massaged her sore neck, wincing as she pressed against the countless bruises covering it. She glanced over at Honoka, taking in her serene, moonlit face. She looked like an angel in that moment, so beautiful and peaceful, that Nico felt an ache start to form in her chest. She slowly reached out an arm toward Honoka, trying in vain to keep herself steady. With trembling fingers she brushed away a lock of soft hair. She continued to stroke Honoka's hair, all while staring at those parted lips. The empty pain in her chest intensified as she was reminded that this, this was the closest she would get.

How could someone be this dense? Honoka was sleeping with her, for fuck's sake, and yet she couldn't tell? She couldn't see Nico's longing looks, notice how she always seemed to go the extra mile if it meant pleasing her? Honoka couldn't see it? Nico swallowed as a lump formed in her throat, holding back the tears threatening to burst from her eyes. It hurt. It hurt so much to be this close. She wanted to go home, retreat to her own room to cry in peace, but it was unlikely the trains weren't running at this hour. She was trapped here. Trapped with the girl she loved, the girl who couldn't love her back.

Nico winced as she leaned over. She couldn't do this when Honoka was awake, Nico knew that, so now was her only chance. Gently she pressed her lips to Honoka's brow, the skin burning under her touch. Honoka's skin was so soft, and deep in the back of her mind Nico hoped Honoka could feel the kiss in her sleep. Nico felt like her heart was screaming in agony as she quickly pulled away, her small act of selfishness seemingly only having made things worse. Nico turned to face the wall, her stomach becoming floaty and full of butterflies as she lied down again. It hurt. Everything hurt. Her stomach, her head, her heart. The bruises. They almost seemed to ache and throb in time with the beating of her heart, and Nico couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

Everything was hurting. Both inside and out.


End file.
